November 11: Romans 13 8-10
Key Verse: Romans 13 9
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
Devotion:
The disciples became the ministry team who went out into the world and shared the news Jesus had given them. They were doing what Christ wanted and what He had taught them to do – trust and obey. But they would also remind people they needed to take heed of the things to be done within their societies to obey the laws of the communities they were living in. Being a good example to others is only one part of being a Christian, but as a first point of contact it may be a very important one.
What does it all boil down to though? Even though we have all these laws in our communities, if we do not show love to others, we have fallen short of our commission. In these verses we are reminded of the commandments and also reminded of the extra commandment given by Jesus – to love your neighbour as yourself! Only God’s love He gives us can achieve such heights required by God; mankind’s love can only reach our expectations…
The love God is asking us to achieve does not impose limits on others, it does not require payment from others, it does not measure others – this love God is teaching us is a love without limits; the same love as Christ showed for us and God has for us. Without this love, how can we love Christ without limit. Without this love, how can we expect to love our neighbours? This is why it is described as a love which fulfils the law, both within our communities and between us and God!
Once we start to aim for the love God has for us, we stop hurting others, we stop thinking ill of others, we stop defrauding others and we begin to live in the peace God has for us. When we display this love, others will begin to see there is hope, there is no malice and no hatred. If we want to be able to stop breaking the commandments, we should aim at the love Christ has shown us in the beginning.
Points to Ponder:
How much love do you show others in your community?
Are you willing to stretch the limits of your love?
November 10: John 13 34-35
Key Verse: John 13 34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
Devotion:
What would be the last thing you would tell your children if you were about to die and they were with you? Jesus knew what was ahead and was trying to best prepare the disciples for the work ahead – this is like His dying wish. What He ask from them can be used as the cornerstone requirement for all of the other commandments which were given to the Israelites through Moses. To love one another, not just as fellow countrymen, but as a parent loves their children.
If they were willing to follow this last commandment, then they would truly be known as disciples of Jesus; not because that was a requirement, but because it would put them in right stead for the rest of the things they would do for Christ. If we are willing to love others without question, then we are worthy of being called disciples of Jesus too because we will be following the wishes of our Lord and Saviour.
What does this love involve? It means being willing to stay with each other, keep watch over each other, pray together, worship together, bear each other’s burdens willingly, building up each other especially in faith and holiness and doing this all with humbleness and without question. This love is not just a love you have for fellow countrymen but a love that works through the spirit and is done because of our love for Christ.
It can be hard and lonely as you start out to try and love those around you, but the more you are willing to show others love, the more they will see it, accept it and even grow with it. This love becomes a new goal in their lives and will help them to focus on Christ as they see this is what Christ has done for them – only much more so!
Points to Ponder:
Are you willing to love those around you?
Are you willing to take your love to people who need it most?
November 9: Deuteronomy 5 21-22
Key Verse: Deuteronomy 5 21
You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbour’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to police in society is the mind. There are rules and regulations written down to ensure people know what is wrong and what is right; but those rules could almost be said to apply after the fact… What starts a bad attitude? What starts a sinful act? What starts a lawbreaker breaking the law? The mind!
Almost all of the time people will think about what they are going to do – even when acting on impulse people first have the choice of what they are going to do next. Without the law in the first place, we would think of something and do it without knowing we have done something wrong; many live under the delusion they are doing right just because they do not know all of the facts. Some use this in our western societies to gain an advantage (political or otherwise) over people they wish to control in some way. Who is doing wrong in this case?
Just because someone does not know the local laws does not allow them to go ahead and do anything they please. It is our responsibility when living in communities to spread the truth and allow others to become aware of the laws. This final commandment was given to make sure we don’t use the excuse of “we were not told it was wrong!” God wants us all to be aware of what we do and to make informed choices to do what is righteous; remember the things we do affect many people around us and not just us.
Moses was given these commandments on tablets of stone to make sure people did not have any excuse to say they did not know of the laws. Christ ensure we have a conscious guide through the Holy Spirit who wants to help guide us through our thoughts and not to judge us after the fact. God wants us to live righteously which means living by laws such as the Ten Commandments and allowing people to see why we live by those laws.
Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to what others have to say?
Will you listen to the Holy Spirit?
November 8: Exodus 20 16
Key Verse: Exodus 20 16
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
Devotion:
There are quite a few places in our bibles which tell us we should not lie, but this commandment goes a bit further by saying we should not tell lies about our neighbours. Who are our neighbours? In this time, the Israelites were living as a huge community or even as a country without being spread over too vast a difference; God was warning them not to come up with lies against other Israelites… the one thing they did eventually do which brought Christ to the cross!
The implications of telling lies go far beyond us, the people we are lying to and those we lie against. Our whole world was affected by the lies people told about Christ! Lives are changed by lies, shortened by lies and ruined by lies; and yet people continue to bring false words against others often without much thought. What would happen if you told lies about God? How would that affect the people you are talking to?
We can combine this with the third commandment which is not to misuse the name of God. I we, as Christians, misuse God’s name, are we not lying to others about how we respect God? I really do cringe when I hear God’s name being used in vain by people I thought knew better – often people have looked at me and apologised afterward, so my face must change too! We are here to bear witness to a God who is real and who is all powerful. We are here to bear witness to His Son Jesus who came to be our ultimate sacrifice for the things we do wrong.
If we, as Christians, cannot set an example for others to follow, how are we ever going to be effective witnesses to others about our amazing God. It does not take long to dig a very big hole for yourself by starting with one lie and having to use another one to back yourself up. People don’t like trusting others who are constantly spreading rumours, telling lies and falsely blaming other for their own shortcomings. If we admit to our faults, allow others to see that and try to do what is right by telling them the truth about God – we have moved forward as witnesses for Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give up when you do something wrong or try to lie about it?
God has never lied about you!
November 7: Exodus 20 15
Key Verse: Exodus 20 15
You shall not steal.
Devotion:
Our first reaction to this is probably “I don’t steal!” But I would like you to think of a few things which are covered even though we do not think about it in this way… The obvious coverage is for people taking by force that which does not belong to them, or to take things from others through cheating or fraud. This covers most things we think about… But what about those we don’t often think of: hiding something from someone so that can no longer access it, disposing of something which does not belong to you just because it looks like it has not been used for a while, taking away personal freedom without consent.
What about the things in Western society which we take for granted: unjust contracts, unjust taxes, withholding payments, overcharging people… these may well be part of our society and the way we live, but it does not make them right – just because things happen does not mean we should live with it or live by those rules. When governments and leaders take things unlawfully or prevent others from getting what is rightfully theirs, the whole country is put on the defensive and many people around the world do not have the power or right to fight back against this sort of corruption.
We can make a difference by showing people what is right and leading by example. How can a child grow up to know right from wrong unless it is taught the truth? If we bury the truth and live a lie, we are not just being false, but we are stealing from others as well. But what about people taking stuff because they are starving, you may ask… It is still stealing – maybe we should not allow people to become so desperate that they feel the need to steal!
Don’t fall into the trap of taking something because you think others expect it. Don’t bend the rules to try and justify why you should be allowed to remove something which does not belong to you. We need to try and live up to God’s expectations and follow Christ’s example by loving those around us and being honest in all things we do.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like bending the rules?
What is it like when others bend rules against you?